Frankly Speaking is the online home for the thoughts of Pastor Frank Weller

Monday, October 21, 2013

Next . . .

Jim Leyland stepped down today after an eight year stint as the manager of the DetroitTigers. Most folks are cheering that
decision. Some are applauding Leyland's great run as the Tiger's skipper; others are saying, "good riddance." (My Facebook feed has been littered with angry outbursts from Tiger
fans after the way the bullpen imploded in the Tigers in the American League
Championship Series.)That makes sense, I guess.Leyland’s
relationship with the media and with fans has been tempestuous the last couple of years. Fans second
guess – that is what they do – and the media exists to sell news. So it is no surprise that each constituency has had a love/hate
relationship with “Jimmy Smokes.” Of course, those closest
to Leyland - his boss and his players love - the guy and that's what probably matters to Leyland the most.All that
aside, here is what struck me about Leyland’s exit today:It’s already
old news.Barely a
half day after his announcement, the sixth story of the Google feed for “Jim
Leyland” is “Who replaces Jim Leyland as Tigers Manager?”I would like
to think I am indispensable as the leader of the church I serve, but I know
better. Nobody is indispensable. Twenty minutes after I carry out the last
box of books from my office I expect they’ll be asking, “What’s
next?”That being
said, maybe here are two changes I need to make:Make sure I
am spending my time on eternal things.

The only things that will follow me into
eternity are my relationships, starting with my Heavenly Father, and the people
that I am influencing for the Kingdom. Chief among those are my wife and my
children. Jesus said, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world,
and forfeit his soul?” Years ago I heard a pastor say, “What good does it
profit a pastor to gain the whole world, yet lose the souls of his children?”

Twenty minutes after the ink on my retirement papers is dry there will be
someone thinking about forming a pulpit committee. My kids, though? They’re
with me for eternity.

Stop acting
and thinking like every decision is a make or break moment.

Here is the reality
of ministry that your pastor lives with every day: the stakes are high.
Eternally high. The eternal destinies of people hang in the balance between
heaven and hell. Because the stakes are so high, it sometimes feels like every
decision is critical to success or failure.

What topic should we cover in our
next sermon series? What person should we hire for the ___________ position?
How should we engage lost people this Christmas/Easter? These are
important decisions, but the reality is that an occasional misstep is unlikely to bring the entire
train to a grinding halt.

At his press
conference today, Jim Leyland said, “When it's time, it's time . . . It's time to step down from the managerial position of the Detroit Tigers. ” I respect that. I hope that I will know when it is
time, too. I hope I will do so with the same grace Leyland showed today.And I hope I will do so knowing that I put first things first.

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About Me

Frank is a Christ follower. He loves Jesus; He loves his wife; He loves his three kids and two dogs. They make their home in Lansing, Michigan, within a three mile radius of South Lansing Christian Church.

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